Two in One
by georgiaboy
Summary: The wedding is only a few months away, Keitaro is in America as an exchange student finishing up his degree, when something very bad happens to totally change everthing.
1. Chapter One

Chapter 001

Two in One - Chapter 001

I do not own Love Hina.

No characters in this story are real. Any character not readily recognizable from LH belongs to me and can be used if my permission is gotten first.

This story is set at the end of Vol. 14 before the wedding.

* * *

_2:30 pm_

_February 12, 2004_

_New York City_

_United States_

A large room, the walls covered with shelves. Each shelf held boxes containing broken pottery, tablets, vases, and many other ancient artifacts from many parts of the world. In the center of the room, a brightly lit table, used as a workstation for attempts to piece together moments of the past into a whole.

Two young men stood on opposite sides of the table, each taking apparent pieces of trash, and reassembling these pieces into a whole. The end product being a piece of history, an object that could be only a few years old, or a few millennium old. Their job to piece the vale of time and attempt to identify the items they were working on.

One, with long brown hair reaching to the middle of his back, held in a ponytail by a leather thong. He stood five foot eight inches tall, his skin tone a light brown. If it were not the middle of winter and two foot of snow on the sidewalks out side, you would think he spent all his days in the sun. His name was José Kantee, a University of Mexico graduate student, twenty-six years old, here in the latter half of his second year of graduate studies.

His work-partner here in the Lab of Terrors, a Japanese student from Tokyo, here doing exchange studies. He had straight, full black hair, which he kept cut short. Five foot seven inches in height, with a well-developed, slight build of some one who worked for a living. Almond colored skin which due to the weather of the last several months, plus continuously working inside, was lighter than it normally was. His eyes, brown in color, showing sincerity and steadfastness at all times. The cast majority of the time projecting compassion, understanding, and patience. Also capable of showing a steele resolve and gritty determination to get through the worst of situations. He was also in the last year of his studies, though he was twenty-five years old, he was Keitaro Urashima.

Lifting up a completed, glazed decretive case, turning it in the light. "Kei, this is amazing work, off and on over six months I have tried to put this piece together. In just six hours, you have gotten it perfectly. I only discern the finest of lines, showing where the pieces fit together. I cannot find the vast majority of the cracks that I know are here. This is just amazing. Man, you have the 'Touch'; I wish I was half as good as you are at these jig-saw-puzzles." José said with wonder having watched a piece of history form before him from a pile of pottery shards as if by magic.

Scratching the back of his head in embarrassment. "He-he, my sensei's daughter would come in to our work lab and accidentally-on-purpose shift pieces I had just finished working on, from the table to the floor. The sudden stop upon falling to the floor normally would cause them to break. Then I would have to start all over, putting it back together." Keitaro said, slightly bowing his head in wonder at his memories of the first few years of being apprenticed to Seta. "So I got plenty of practice at putting artifacts back together."

José just shuck his head in wonder at the person before him, who was becoming a legend in the archeological circles, his mentor was already a legend whose stories had to have been exaggerated. "I am glad to have you working with me now. The last guy in here was a total klutz; he was tripping over his own feet some times."

Keitaro chuckled at the thought. "Oh, I can be a klutz also, but usually only when I am around the female persuasion. I had the worst luck; my clumsiness would put me in the worst of situations that my renters always saw in the most perverted light."

"Renters?" José asked, knowing that some thing good was coming to light.

Keitaro chuckled again, while reaching to the table to grab his soda, he continued. "Back home, before getting into _Todai _I inherited an Inn from my Grandmother. Except to find out when I got there that it had been turned into a girl's dormitory several years before."

José just looked at Keitaro in wonder, "Man that must have been great with all those babes around you all the time."

Keitaro shuddered at the memories of the first few years he was there. "Actually, it was horrid. They did not respect me at first. They had this mind-set that anything I did, had a perverted base thought. Therefore, any time my clumsiness would happen, when of them set me up, by their own actions, or something would happen which they perceived as perverted, they would hit or attack me. Even if I was not even there, they would find some convoluted reasoning to blame and attack me." With saying this Keitaro hung his head, shacking it in wonder, "it is a wonder that I am even alive."

"It couldn't have been that bad," José said.

Keitaro looks José straight in the eye and with all seriousness told him. "It is actually worse than you can think." A grimace comes to his face and his eyes glazes over at the memories. "Let's go grab some lunch and I will tell you what it was like."

"Cool I'm starved," said José.

Getting up, both headed out of the Lab. Passing into the main areas of the museum, they passed displays of the history of the world's past. They passed statues from Egypt, dinosaurs, and other animals that have not lived in millions of years. Both of them felt a feeling of accomplishment, seeing the people around them admiring the displays and learning about our world's past, it made all the had work and long ours of their chosen profession worth it.

Nearing the museum front entrance, Keitaro heard a voice call to him. "Hey part-timer, you been working hard?"

Keitaro and José stopped, a smile coming to Keitaro's face and a look of astonishment coming to José's face. Keitaro turned turn a tall oriental man dressed in a long white blazer with an unlit cigarette in his mouth. "Sensei, it is great to see you. Are you done with your presentations for the day?" asked Keitaro.

"Yes, I just wrapped up my last presentation," he said as he came over to Keitaro.

"José I would like you to meet my sensei, Noriyasu Seta."

_6:45 am_

_February 13, 2004_

_Hinata House_

_Hinata, Japan_

Two young ladies kneeled around a table sipping tea, welcoming in the morning. Looking out the large windows before them, seeing the garden like grounds in front of the Hinata House. For once, the weather was perfect for a winter day. There were so few clouds that they could see all the way to the ocean in the distance across the hills before them. In the far distance, the first hint of dawn was coloring the haze on the horizon a beautiful pink.

Both of them, as was everyone else in the house, were melancholy. However, times were better on the horizon.

Motoko Aoyama, twenty-two years old, long black hair, today wearing a conservative suit in black, a third year student at Tokyo University. Flushed in the face from her morning workout, thinking how good it would be to have her sparing partner back this summer. However, still, it was not the only thoughts she had about him, which made her flush into a light blush.

Naru Narusegawa, twenty-three years old,

Long chestnut colored hair, wearing her usual sweater and slacks. She was a forth year student at Tokyo University, her eyes looking to the distance seeing a brown-eyed man who was on the far side of the ocean from her, but would be back in a few months time. Not so strange, these tow ladies were thinking about the same man.

With a smile on her lips, Motoko said, "so, the pervert is finishing up his studies this spring and will be back this summer."

"Yes, he will," Naru, said with a blush and smile on her face. Not even recognizing what Motoko said as a try at an insult.

Noises from the kitchen could be heard, as the resident chef of Hinata could be heard making breakfast. Shinobu Maehara was a first year student now at Tokyo University having gotten in on her first try. She accredited this to her sempai's here at the house and her favorite sempai Keitaro.

Motoko still trying to get a response from Naru from her teasing suddenly stopped, feeling a felling of wrongness.

Naru suddenly dropped her teacup, it falling to the tabletop and shattering as she felt something wrong, the feeling seeming to pertain to Keitaro.

From the kitchen, a large crashing sound was heard as many some things hit the floor. The door flying open as Shinobu sprawled half out the door from the kitchen as she landed on the floor with a look of pain crossing her face.

"Something is badly wrong," said Motoko in a voice, dreading what it might be.

At the same time, Naru covered her face with her hands, "Keitaro, something has happened to Keitaro," she said in a sobbing voice.

_A few minutes before in New York_

"Sir, I am much honored to meet you. I have read much and followed your projects over the last several years," said José with awe in his voice.

"Well part-timer, you about ready to head home?" Seta asked Keitaro with a smile as he shacks José's hand.

Keitaro raises his hand to the back of his head and runs his hand through his hair. "Yes, I will be very glad to get back, though I still have this quarter and next to finish up my degree." He chuckled after saying that.

Seta just smiled at him, "I did not mean you finishing your degree, I was thinking of a certain lady that is waiting on you."

Keitaro starts to blush very hard at this jab at this life.

Seta smiled even bigger, "and a certain ceremony that will be happening as soon as we get home"

Now Keitaro was looking like he was about to faint from the blood loose since he was so embarrassed.

José smiled at his friend's discomfort, "and what type of ceremony are we talking about here? I don't think you would get embarrassed at the mention of your graduation," he said with a hint of mischievousness in his voice.

Seta just smiled even bigger at Keitaro's discomfort, "oh, hi did not tell you, he is getting married this summer, as soon as he gets back."

Keitaro could hardly even breathe at this point, Seta and José almost falling to the floor, laughing at the look on Keitaro's face.

Around them, people were looking at them funny and several of the armed police officers were scrawling at them.

José tried to straighten up at this point and compose him self. "Sir, would you like to join us for a late lunch and a few drinks?"

"That sounds like a good idea; maybe we can drag this one with us and make him pay." Seta said this and grabbed one side of Keitaro while José got the other side and they headed for the door out of the museum.

Going through the door and hitting the cold outside brought Keitaro back to his senses. "I can walk myself, you know."

"You can? It did not look that way to me. You must have overloaded at the thought of your fiancé," Seta said with a straight face.

The three of them headed down the stairs in front of the building. Stopping at the bottom, Keitaro turned back, looking at the ancient Mediterranean style building that had been his home away from home for the last year. The name across the top structure of the building in gothic lettering,

"Museum of Natural History."

"I will say that I will be glad to be going home for many reasons, Naru being the main reason, but I will miss this place," Keitaro said while turning back to them and heading down the street.

Keitaro and Seta suddenly stopped, looks of dread coming over their faces.

From in front of them, could be heard angry voices and shouts of alarm coming from a glass fronted building.

From behind, could be heard sirens closing in toward them. Heavy footfalls could be heard coming fast behind them.

Back in front of the, two men with sky mask and guns came out of the glass-fronted building.

Seta grabbed José and dived to the ground, Keitaro diving between José and the armed-masked men.

At this exact moment they found the sound behind them to be the police form the museum brings their guns to bear on the armed men and they bring their guns up.

Bullets started to fly between the two groups.

Keitaro was still in the air when the bullets flew. He felt several hard hits; he knew he was in trouble, because he could see that he had not even hit the ground yet. The poundings started in his leg and seemed to move up his body, until with the last hammering, everything went black.


	2. Chapter Two

Two in One - Chapter 002

I do not own Love Hina.

No characters in this story are real. Any character not readily recognizable from LH belongs to me and can be used if my permission is gotten first.

This story is set at the end of Vol. 14 before the wedding.

* * *

_February 12, 2004_

_New York City_

_United States_

Things were felling very strange, there was a pressure around his mouth. Strange he could voices, but they were fading in and out.

"Ok, we got the blood..."

"One, Two, Three, Four, Brea..."

He was laying on something hard and unstable. He was feeling a slight swaying.

Lights were fading in and out, suddenly the flight got brighter, and noises were louder. He was moving.

"My God, he is ..."

Cold air, very cold, but only on my face, what is wrong with me. I try to ask, I am forming the words, but no sound is coming out.

"Look, his mouth is..."

The lights are flickering, moving fast.

"Get him into sur..."

Bright light, getting darker, very darker, the light is fading away, what is wrong, should not there be pain. I do not feel anything. What is wrong?

José sat in the waiting room. The feeling of depression around him was perceptible. People come and going. He did not know what to feel. Still trying to figure out what happened back there.

_It happened so fast...._

... Several men came running out of the bank next to the museum. An alarm could be heard from in the building. They were wearing sky mask and carrying guns. One had an AK-47 and the other had a shotgun.

Seta crashed into me carrying me to the ground. Keitaro was a little slower diving but he did start.

Behind us I heard, "FREEZE, POLICE, or we will shoot!"

The men in front of us raised their guns.

Behind us, the guns of the police officers went off. Rapid-fire shots came from the cops.

Shots were coming from the bank robbers also. The AK was firing in full auto, the gunner not even really aiming, the burst started on one side of the cops, and moved from left to right, climbing as he blew through the clip.

Bullets flew over our heads, some going past the cops, hitting people behind them, and then the first cop took three hits to the abdomen. Then bullets flew between the two cops behind us, and then bullets hit the other cops chest.

The cops were sending shots back, their aim more accurate. Each putting several bullets each into each guy's chest.

The shot-gunner fired fast but not well aim. His aim started out low and climbing. Hitting the target in front of him.

The two cops were knocked back by the hits to their bodies, raising their free hands to their wounds, feeling for damage. Each woozy but their hands coming away clean, their body armor had saved them.

The two bad guys fell back from the multiple hits to their chest, blood spraying from the wounds that punctured their hearts.

The shotgun's shots never made it to their intended target. They hit the first thing in their way.

Keitaro

The first hit his lower leg, the next into his abdomen, then his shoulder, and last just above his eye.

OH, GOD, he thought. There was blood everywhere and other things on him that he did not even want to think of.

It took the medics like what seemed forever to get there, even though it was only a few minutes.

Looking at my friend there, bleeding from so many hits. A large portion of his head gone, but his eyes were still open and blinking as if he could still see.

Now sitting there on the hard chair, his head in his hands. Crying for his friend, whom he had just found out, was getting married this summer.

He felt a hand on his shoulder. Looking up he saw Seta, his friends mentor looking down at him with tears in his eyes.

"I have to make some calls, His family needs to know." Seta said with reluctance and remorse in his voice. Reaching into his jacket, he pulled out a metal flask. "Here, have some of this, it will help."

José reached up, taking the flask into his hands. Pulling the cap and taking a swift swig. The burning feel of the sake going down his throat. Capping the flask, he hid it in his own jacket, knowing the docs would not like it here.

Seta moved over to the other side of the waiting room, to the private phones, small semi-enclosed rooms with a table, a chair, and a phone.

Picking up the phone, he stopped, trying to still his mind so that he can get up the courage to make the call he did not want to.

Looking at his watch, 5:12pm, she would be in the Café right now. Picking up the phone, he dialed.

Ring-ring

A young lady with dirty-blond hair picks up the phone. "Good morning, Hinata Café. Can I help you," she said with a smile on her face and in her voice.

"Mitsune..."

"Yes, this is Mitsune, can I help you." Mitsune frowned at the phone. The voice sounded familiar, but the connection was very bad, the voice sounding as if it was coming through a tunnel.

"This is Seta, let me speak to Haruka."

With hearing the pain in his voice, her face drained of all color. "Yes, yes Seta, she is right here, I will get here." She laid the phone down on the counter. Running to the backroom office, she knocked over a chair on the way.

Slamming the door open, almost knocking it off its hinges.

Haruka looked up in alarm. "Kit, what is wrong, you look like the world is about to end."

"Haruka, Seta is on the phone, and something is terribly wrong."

Haruka launched herself out of the chair, heading to the phone.

Grabbing the phone, "Seta, what is wrong."

"I don't know how to say this."

"What, what is wrong," she repeated. Reaching behind her, grabbing a chair, pulling it over and slowly sitting in it. From the sound of his voice, dreading what she was about to hear.

"It's Keitaro; he has been hurt real bad, real bad."

"What, what has happened Seta?" she asked, her hand coming up to cover her face.

"Kei was shot a little while ago, he is in surgery, but it does not look good," he said this while starting to cry, not able to hold it in anymore.

"OH, GOD," she said into the phone, lowering her head toward the counter top.

"I will call back as soon as I have anymore information. Can you let everyone else know what is going on?" He pleaded into the phone to her.

"Yes, I will, call soon, I love you," she spoke into the phone in a low voice. Forcing the words through her pain.

"I love you to; I will call again soon as I know anything else." He said this with great pain and set the phone down.

Hearing the dial tone, she let the phone fall from her grasp. Tears flowed at the thought of loosing Keitaro. Thinking at how she would tell the others made her feel even worse.

Mitsune looked at Haruka being dawning dread. Not knowing yet what has happened she lays her hands on Haruka trying to comfort her, thinking that it is something wrong with Seta. "Haruka, what is wrong, is there anything I can do?" she asked.

Haruka raised her red-eyed face to Kitsune, "is everyone still up at the house?" she asked.

Kitsune thought for a moment before answering, "Everyone except Sara and the newbies have not left for their classes, why?" Kitsune answered.

"Call Sara's school and have her come home, also go up and ask all the old crew to come down here, I have some bad news for everyone. I have to stay here with the phone incase Seta calls again. Also, put the closed sign up also, I don't think we will be opening up today." Haruka said all this, not even remembering that she was no longer the owner of the Café anymore. She just laid her head back down on her crossed arms and continued crying.

Kitsune called Sara's school, telling the receptionist to have her come home because of a family problem. Then heading out the door she turned the sign around to show they were closed. Heading up the stairs to the girl's dorm, she started thinking about what had just happened. Since it was Seta that had called, then the problem must involve Keitaro and with the condition Haruka was in, then it must be bad.

Reaching the House, she headed to the living room where everyone gathered in the morning time. Entering, she saw everyone was there. Naru, Motoko, and Shinobu looking very worried about something. Su was her normal self, trying to get people to play with her, though she was calmer than she used to be, she was still energetic, just not hyperactive anymore. Mutsumi and Kanako, well they were just themselves; nothing seems to change or affect them greatly.

Everyone looked up as she entered the room, seeing the look of worry on her face they new something was really wrong, since she was always so chipper. "Good, everyone is here, will all of you come down to the Café, Haruka has some news for us," Kitsune said with a catch in her voice.

It seemed like everyone started talking at once, trying to get information out of her that she did not have. That is everyone except Naru, Motoko, Shinobu, and Kanako. They all stoop up suddenly as if knowing what was wrong, came to her and asked at the same time. "Is something wrong with Keitaro," they all said at once.

Kitsune looked down, trying to hide her own worry and distress. "I do not know, Seta called a few minutes ago and gave Haruka some really bad news. She wants us all down there so she can tell us what is wrong."

At this, everyone rushed out of the house, not even worrying about the weather or what they maybe wearing, rushing down the steeps to the Café. Kitsune was left standing there in surprise and not really surprised at everyone's reaction. She also headed down, but at a much slower rate.

Kitsune entered the Café to see everyone gathered around staring at Haruka in worried wonder, not saying anything. They all were deeply worried at the look of deep hearted despair she was caught in. The feeling of dread was quickly taking over them all.

Naru tried to get her to tell them what was going on.

Haruka raised her head up and looked around, still crying, "Is Sara here yet?" she asked.

The door chime caused them all to turn with a start. Seeing a tall, (too them that is) blond American girl/woman entered the Café, who was all red in the face and disheveled from the run home from school. Sara rushed to Haruka asking in a worried voice, "Has something happened to Papa?"

"No Sara, Seta is all right." She said. Looking around, seeing that everyone was there, she stood up. "Everyone, I think you should sit down. What I am going to saw will come as a shock."

No one even moved at her words, looks of dread coming to their faces, knowing that since Seta was ok, that could only mean one thing.

Looking at each one of them before talking again, the look of deep hurt in her eyes shocking each and everyone of them, she then hurt them even more, "Keitaro has been shot."

Page 22 of 22


	3. Chapter Three

Two in One - Chapter 003

I do not own Love Hina.

No characters in this story are real. Any character not readily recognizable from LH belongs to me and can be used if my permission is gotten first.

This story is set at the end of Vol. 14 before the wedding.

* * *

_9:42 am_

_February 13, 2004_

_New York City_

_United States_

Sir, are you a family member of Mr. Urashima?" asked a person that looked like a doctor to Seta.

Seta smiled at this, "I would guess I am, I am married to his aunt," he said. Then wondered at that being the first thing he had had to smile at, in several days.

José looked up from his despair as some one spoke to Seta in a while. They both had been sitting here in a private waiting room near the surgery suits since Keitaro had been wheeled in last evening. He got up and walked over so that he could hear what was happening to his friend.

The doctor looked at both of them, seeing the look of worry and dread on their faces. He drew in a breath, steeling himself to tell them the new. "Sir, Mr. Urashima is out of surgery. He is being placed in the intensive care unit at this time."

"How is he doctor?" asked Seta, with a look of hope on his face.

"I do not want to get your hopes up, so I will give it to you straight. The bullet that went through his head destroyed a portion of his brain and severed his spinal column. The wonder is that he is still alive, but I cannot really say that he is really living. His brain is still showing that it is working; it appears that he can see and hear what is going on around him. However, he cannot breathe on his own and his heart will not beat. Therefore, we have him on machines to do that for him. It appears that he has no feeling or ability to control anything below his neck since that portion of the brain damaged is the part that controls all that."

"Also, he was hit by three other slugs. His left shin has been shattered. A glancing blow has fractured his hip and his intestines were damaged. His right shoulder and collarbone was shattered by another slug. Then the worst you already know, a slug hit above his right eye angled back through the brain and hit the spinal cord before exiting the back of the neck.

At these words, both Seta and José sat down hard, looking at each other with dread and despair. Wondering what was to happen next, Seta dreading having to give this news to the others in Japan. "Is there nothing that can be done for him?" asked Seta.

"I will not give you any false hope, as it stands right now, he would be dead without the machines breathing and pulsing his blood for him. I will check to see if there is anyone working on any projects that may relate. I seem to remember something along the lines I will have to check. However, do not get your hopes up, in situations like this accept the worst, and be grateful for what does happen," the doctor said grimly.

"Thank you for the truth doctor, that is what we really need right now, not some flimsy platitudes that would only end up hurting us in the end." This came from José, who looked to the doctor with respect, but still gripped with the hurt of maybe loosing his friend.

Seta looked up to the doctor with visible pain, "Thank you doctor also, it is what we need to hear right now. Now I must make a phone call again and let a few ladies know of what has transpired." I am really not looking forward to do this again, he thought.

Seta moved over to the phone in the corner, hesitant to pick it up. No, I will wait; it is the middle of the night there. Later will be ok, Seta thought as exhaustion and worry took him it to a nightmare realm of slumber, where there was no comfort yet.

_6:00 am_

_February 14, 2004_

_Hinata House_

_Hinata Japan_

Haruka slowly came awake, seeing that another comfortless night had passed. Some comfort was available, with every minute that passes, meaning that Keitaro was still alive.

She started to come fully awake, hearing the almost inaudible sound of movement in the kitchen. She moved to sit up on the couch where she had fallen asleep the night before. Someone had again covered her with a blanket after she had fallen to sleep.

She got up, turning to go into the kitchen to see what Shinobu had made for this morning, when...

Ring ring.

The phone sounded behind her. With a mixture of dread and hope, she moved to the phone in the entryway. Hesitating before picking it up, her hand only inches away from the phone in the cradle, allowing it to ring several more times. Picking up the phone, holding it as if it were a snake about to bite her, reluctantly bring it to her ear, she finally spoke, "Hinata House..., may I help you?"

For a few seconds, there was silence on the phone. "Haruka," a voice sounded, weary with pain and longing.

"Seta, are you all right, is Keitaro better?" she asked in a rapid-fire voice, hoping that it is true.

Silence again for what seemed an eternity. "Haruka, they have finally stabilized Keitaro."

"That's great, when can both of you come home, when can we see you?" shed asked in a happier voice.

Around her, the other ladies of the house had heard the phone ring and had gravitated toward the entryway where Haruka and the phone were. Even the younger-new members of the house had come to see what was going on. They had seen over the last two days the pain and suffering the older members of the house were going through due to what was happening to the manager over in America. Several of the new girls did not even know him, but had heard of him through conversations with the other members of the house.

Hearing the surge in hope in her voice, all of them started to perk up finally.

"Ah Haruka, he is not doing that good, I do not know when we can come home, or if he will ever be able to," Seta said in a heart rending voice.

At hearing the sound of what he said and how he said it, deflated all her hopes. Those around her upon seeing how she reacted were brought back down to earth rather badly. Now they started to dread what would be said next.

Seta went on to tell Haruka what the doctor had said to him the night before, but he left out what the doctor had said about there being a rumor of something that possible could help Keitaro, not wanting to get their hopes up.

Haruka slowly dropped into the chair next to the phone, a look of horror and pain capturing her face and body, as Seta told her of Keitaro's condition. After Seta told her that he would call with any more news when he got it himself, they said their goodbyes and disconnected the phone.

Haruka sat there in shock for what seemed hours, though it was only a few minutes, as what she had heard sunk in. The ladies and girls around her tried to get her to talk and loosen up. They wanted to know what was going on, the emotions that were capturing her were affecting everyone. They were being drawn down into a morass of despair thinking that the worst had happening and they had lost him, not knowing that what had really happened maybe even worse.

Haruka finally came out of her daze. Seeing that everyone was looking to her, wanting to know what was going on. "Ok all of you, lets go and sit down and I will tell you what Seta just told me about Keitaro."

They all slowly moved into the living room and found seats. "Kitsune, could I bother you to bring me a drink, I really need one right now," Haruka asked.

Kitsune reached behind the couch to where she kept some of her emergency stash, even though she did not drink as much as she used to. It was still habit for her to have a drink readily available when she or some one else might need it. She passed the bottle and a small glass from the end table over to Haruka.

Haruka then did something totally out of character for her; she opened the bottle of sake and tipped the bottle up taking several large swallows. Everyone just looked at the normally reserved woman in shock, then knowing that what she had already found out this morning was not good news.

Haruka capped and set down the bottle, not even shuddering at how much alcohol she had just downed. "Alright everyone, Seta just told me of Keitaro's condition."

Everyone perked up and gave her their full attention, as if she had not had it already since she had been on the phone.

"Keitaro is out of surgery and in an intensive care unit now. He is not dead, but he is not really alive either. He was shot four times, one of which hit him in the head."

At saying that, everyone essentially went into shock, several to the point of crying and wailing. Naru and Shinobu taking it the worst, they were crying into their hands, thinking the worst had happened, that they had lost the man they loved. Motoko and Kitsune sat up straight in their seats, very silent trying to hold in what they were feeling.

"But that is not the worst. The hit to his head damaged his brain and severed his spinal cord."

The feelings of despair in the room were getting worst. You could actually feel it in the room. The crying was getting worse, the ladies were holding on to each other, trying to get comfort from each other. Even Motoko was starting to breakdown at the emotions she was feeling. Mutsumi was swooning and about to collapse.

"It appears that the remaining portion of his brain is still active, but it can not control any portion of his body below the neck. So they have him on a mechanical respirator and heart pump." She said this last almost at a whisper. Not wanting to think she could still loose him after everything that he and they had gone through.

This same thought was going through all the older ladies heads. They had all come to love him after what they had gone through. He had over come so much over the last few years and one way of another stolen the heart of all of them, several of them more so than others.

"So, that is all I have. The best we can do right now is gone on with our day to day lives and pray for the best," Haruka said, trying to sound like she even believed what she was saying.

Suu perked up and looked around, "I could build him a mecha body so that he can move around and be himself," she said with earnest belief.

"I just want to be with him," came a low voice filled with heart wrenching pain from Naru. "I just want to be there for him."

Kitsune started up at the thought, "Yea, why don't we."

Motoko looked at her in wonder, "What do you mean?"

"Let's go there and be with him," Kitsune said with hope starting to fill her voice.

Naru looked up in wonder and hope at what she was hearing.

Haruka looked around her in shock not believing what she was hearing. "Ladies, this is not like the jaunts you have taken before, it isn't like flying off to Pararakelse. You are talking of going to New York in America. It will take millions of yen each for just the tickets, not to mention money for living expenses when we get there."

Suu smiled at this, "I can get us there."

Everyone looked at her in shock and horror. Most saying at the same time, "NO way are were riding in one of your Mecha there!

Suu drew back at this, shacking her head and waving her hands in the negative. "No, I meant I cold call father and have him send us a plane. Also for a place to stay when we get there, my family has several rooms permently leased in a hotel there as a small embassy."

This brought everyone to a silent stop. Then it was just pandemonium as everyone started talking at once, running from the room to start packing. Suu got on the phone to call her father. Haruka was even in a better mood.

The younger Ladies of the house were dumbfounded by what they were seeing, they had not been around in the past when a rescue mission/trip had ever been mounted. Haruka finally stopped and looked to the younger crowd. "We are all going to see Keitaro, you little ones take care of everything here, including the Café," She said. Luckly the girls were old enough to take care of them selves.

Just a few hours later, Haruka, Naru, Motoko, Shinobu, Kitsune, Mutsumi, Kanako, and Sara were at the airport boarding a private jet for the trip to America.


	4. Chapter Four

Two in One - Chapter 004

I do not own Love Hina.

No characters in this story are real. Any character not readily recognizable from LH belongs to me and can be used if my permission is gotten first.

This story is set at the end of Vol. 14 before the wedding.

* * *

_7:12 pm_

_February 15, 2004_

_New York City_

_United States_

It has been three days since the attack that had hurt Keitaro. The doctors were amazed that he was technically still alive. The portion of his brain that remained was still active. His body was healing at a rapid pace, which amazed them. However, his brain could not heal or regenerate like the rest of his body.

With how well he was healing even though he had to be on machines to keep his body stable, they had decided that he could be moved out of the intensive care unit into a private room. Seta and José were spending their time in turns in Keitaro's room so that he would never be alone. They know that at times, when the pain relievers would start to wear off he would become aware of what was going on around him. Therefore, they stayed that when he did wake, he would see someone he knew.

Even when he was asleep, they read to him so that he could hear a voice that he knew. Seta had the television on with the volume down low, just loud enough to be heard. He would switch the channel between a local Japanese Radio station, NHK, Discovery, History, and News channels so that Keitaro would not loose himself.

-------

_Strange, I know I have been hurt. However, I cannot feel any pain. I cannot even feel anything except on my face. Why is this? What has happened to me? I CANNOT MOVE? SOMEBODY HELP ME! I see SETA sensei sitting there, but he acts as if he cannot hear me, even though I can feel my mouth move, my tongue works. Why cannot you hear me Sensei?_

_Wait, I cannot hear myself either, but I can hear things, the television is on, sensei is reading aloud. However, I cannot hear myself speak, WHY IS THIS?_

_Everything looks strange, flat, it seems dark to my right side. Why is that? My vision is messed up also, what is wrong. SOMEONE TELL ME WHAT IS WRONG!_

_--------_

__

José opened the door to Keitaro's room, carrying food for Seta and himself he enters the room. "Good evening Mr. Noriyasu, I have dinner here." José looks past Seta to see how Keitaro is doing and almost drops the bags of food when he sees that Keitaro's eyes are open. "Sir, Keitaro is awake," he says in a subdued voice.

Seta whips his head around to see Keitaro there with his eyes open. He stands up and moves over to his bed. "Hey part-timer, about time that you work up, time for you to get better and get back to work." He said jokingly, trying to sound upbeat with what happened.

Looking into his eyes, Seta sees the questions and the pleading for answers, he watches his mouth move trying to speak and ask questions.

Seta gets a sad look on his face, but he understands what Keitaro is trying to ask. "Ok, I will give you what you want. Kei, you have been hurt very bad, though you are healing pretty well. You were shot four times, in your leg, hip, and your shoulder. Those are healing very well. You also took a hit in the head."

At this, Keitaro's eyes opened very wide.

"Yes, you understand I see. That one has everyone worried. That one damaged your brain and spinal cord. You are paralyzed from the neck down and a portion of your brain has been destroyed." Lowering his head, the sadness, and grief could be heard in his voice. "Even if your spine was ok, though the doctors are seeing some regeneration there, the portion of your brain that was damaged is the part that controls your motor and auto nominal functions. The hit to you head also damaged your left eye."

Keitaro moved his eyes, though he could only see from one, to look at the ceiling. Absorbing what he had been told, trying to think of what the implication were. After a minute, he looked back to Seta, his eyes asking him to continue.

Seta nodded at the look of resignation in Keitaro's eyes. "Yes you are hurt bad; machines are being used to breath and pump your blood for you. The doctors here are not holding out much hope, but one of the doctors is looking into something he had heard rumors about. So we don't know what is going to happen."

Keitaro closed his eyes, thinking and worrying about what had happened and what was to come. Not hearing the door open, he does sense that someone else has entered the room. He slowly opens his eyes, pain is starting to cause flashes in his eyes. He sees a woman in a nurse's uniform come toward the bed.

"I see you are awake. Are you in pain?" she asked.

Keitaro grimaces to show that he is.

She nods and puts a note in his record. Reaches up and adjust the flow rate of medication into his I.V. "There that should help, I will check back later and see haw that helps." She smiles at him and then moves away.

With the increase in medication and from the exhaustion of his body trying to heal itself, Keitaro drifts back off to sleep.

Seta is sitting there, thinking about what is to come for Keitaro, when he hears a commotion outside the door. He moves to the door, opening it, he finds the nurse trying to stop a group of young ladies wanting to enter Keitaro's room. Seta smiles at the sight of the nurse, who only spoke English, and the other ladies who did not, trying to argue.

He steps forward to save all. "Sshhhhh," he sounds out quietly. Keitaro is asleep.

The nurse seeing that he has everything under control, smiles at him in thanks and then moves off.

Haruka seeing this interplay gives Seta a hard look.

Seta smiles at the ladies and motions them to follow him to a waiting room just down the hall. "Well, I see it did not take you that long to get here, I starting to wonder if you were coming." He said with a smile, thinking of all the other times they had chased Keitaro somewhere.

Haruka moves up to him, taking him into a hug, happy to be back with him. He holds on to her, finally letting some of his grief to show.

The Ladies look on, showing their own pain and the questions in their eyes about how Keitaro is doing.

Seta looks up, "There has not been any real change, and he does wake at times." He sees the hope spring into everyone's faces. "But, he still cannot speak nor does much of anything."

Naru looked up at Seta, tears in her eyes, "Can, can I see him," she asked. Her emotions very plain in her voice, so much pain, and longing.

Seta looked to her with a smile, trying to cheer her up. "Go ahead Naru, but he is asleep right now from his pain medication."

-------

Naru headed out of the waiting room and went to Keitaro's room. Slowly opening the door, she spies a sheet-covered form in the bed, many wires, tubes, and cords going to his arms. A large clear tube connected to a breathing machine and two red colored tubes connected to some type of pump were connected to his neck.

Stepping further into the room, she noted a young man of Hispanic origins sitting around the corner, reading aloud from a Japanese newspaper to Keitaro. Even though the young man knows that Keitaro is asleep, he continues to read.

At the sound of the door closing, he stops reading and turns to her. "Ah, you must be Naru; Keitaro has told me much of you." He says in a low voice, filled with concern. He stands up offering her the chair he was in. "I shall leave you alone with him, if you alike?"

She does not even notice that he is speaking in fluent Japanese. She nods her acceptance to his suggestion.

As he quietly leaves the room, she pulls the chair over to the bed. Sitting down she takes his hand into hers, covering it with her other hand. "Oh Kei, what are we to do? I am so scared of going on without you. You have to get better. I do not want to be alone anymore." Saying this, she leans down, kissing his hand, then laid her head on his hand with tears flowing freely down her face.

With her head lying on his hand, she looks toward his face, seeing the hoses going into his neck partially obscuring his face, bandages covering the deformed side of his head. "Kei, you opened up my heart, you showed me what love really is. That is not about what a person wants, but what a person wants to do for others. –Sniff- You are too good for me, but I do not want to loose you. I do not want to go back to being the old Naru. –sniff- SO don't you die on me, I want you to come back with me, to our home." Finally feeling a little better, being there with him, she drifts off to sleep.

-------

José left the room and headed toward the waiting room, assuming that is where Seta is since he was hearing several Japanese voices coming from there. From the door to the waiting room, José sees Seta surrounded by a number of beautiful young ladies, all of them trying to get him to talk about Keitaro. Leaning against the doorframe, he smiles at the scene before him.

Sensing a presence behind him, he turns seeing Keitaro's doctor, "Seta, I think the doc wants to talk to you," José speaks up, getting Seta's attention. José moves into the room allowing the doctor to enter and close the door.

Seta moved out of the group of young ladies toward the doctor. "Is there any news doctor," Seta ask.

"We will be taking him back into surgery tomorrow and start working on the broken bones. He is going to end up with several metal plates and tubes to support the damaged areas," the doctor said. In English

Everyone was hanging on his words trying to understand what he is saying.

José started a running translation so that the ladies could understand what the doctor was saying. The ladies turned to him with looks of wonder and worry. Worried about Keitaro and surprised that this foreigner, not even an American understood both English and Japanese.

The doctor continued, "The plates will support the bones while they attempt to heal. Also a research doctor from UCLA Medical School has a research project going that might be able to help Mr. Keitaro."

Seta and Haruka looked to the doctor in shock and after José had translated, the ladies looked to the doctor with hope in their faces.

"He has asked for a biological sample so they can do DNA matching for possible treatment."

They looked at the doctor in confusion, "What kind of treatment is possible when a portion of the brain is destroyed," asked Seta.

"I am not sure either, I have not studied in the neurological field since my school days," the doctor stated. "He did state that they would be looking into organ a donor, which is why he requested the biological sample to see if there was a donor available."

-------

_8:58 pm_

_February 15, 2004_

_Somewhere in southern California_

A young medical intern in her white lab coat stands behind her superior. He is watching the plasma screens as they show the results of the ongoing DNA results from the Urashima sample being analyzed.

"Do you think we will find a match," she ask.

The doctor holds his chin in his hand as he observes the readout. "Theoretically yes, I just hope the match is in the databases. Otherwise we may not be able to find out who the match is."

--------

_February 19, 2004_

_New York City_

Four days have gone by and lots of time again spent in the operating rooms. The reconstruction of Keitaro's bone structures has been completed. Using metal and plastic plates his bones have been positioned so that they can heal properly.

He is again in his room resting and healing. Naru and with her Motoko, Kanako, and Shinobu, spend all their time with him. He is never alone. Each of them coming to understand the feelings they have for this young man. Also finding that there are others that feel the same way as they each do.

The doctors are dumbfounded at his healing ability. They watch, monitor, prod, and take samples trying to understand what is happening. Parts of his anatomy that normally should not show any healing is doing just that. His nerve ends in his lower brain are showing signs of growth and is attempting to reconnect, but unfortunately, his brain is not showing any growth, though it does show signs of attempting to do that. Parts that were separated due to shock trauma are growing connectors, but no new brain cells are growing. They use the best imaging devices they have to monitor this growth and take copious amounts of notes, if they can figure this out, and then others can be helped.

--------

_Somewhere in southern California_

The intern comes into the doctor's office, "Sir, we have gotten a match to the Urashima DNA."

The doctor turns to the intern, keeping himself calm so that his excitement will not show. "How many matches and what is their availability," he asked.

"Ahw, three matches' sir, one from military sources, one government civilian, and one from Texas Department of Correction. It appears to be the same person on all three matches," the intern reports, trying to keep her own emotions under control.

The doctor is getting more interested by the minute, especially by the DoC reference. "What are the specifics on the Military and Government sources?"

"Hmmm, the military database is the Army, and the government source is the Intelligence community database," she said. "We are drawing on all sources to get more information on him."

The door behind them opens and a lab assistant hands to the intern a folder.

"It appears that we have the personal data we need here," she said.

"Oh," is all the doctor says as for her to continue.

"Yes, his name is Jason Kendricks, age 54, born May 12, 1950. Conscripted into the Army in 1968, served three tours in Vietnam, Ranger, Green Beret, Languages specialist. Seconded to several CIA missions into Laos and China during this time. Continues working with the CIA and NSA during the years after Vietnam, missions to essential every hotspot in the world, first team into Grenada, Panama, Kuwait, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, also worked with Delta and Rainbow. Fluent in many languages, his repeated best cover was as a Russian Intelligence operative to get into many places he was not supposed to."

"Married a Russian expatriate in 1990, with whom he had one child, of six years old. Retired from government/military service in 2000. Wife injured in an attack on her business in 2000, attackers got off on a technicality. More than likely, he was the target, possible setup by the intelligence services to silence him due to what he may know.

He found the attacker and messed him up badly, and doing so made even more enemies in the services. Was sent to prison for five years for felony assault, is still in prison at this time." She looked up to the doctor after completing her report, waiting for his response to her report.

The doctor mulls over the report, then ask, "How close is the DNA match?"

"99.992 percent," she says with a smile, "almost a perfect match."

"Set up an appointment and book a flight for me, soonest," he says. "I also need to make some calls."

"Yes sir," she turns and leaves the room.


	5. Chapter Five

Two in One

Chapter Five

Two in One

Chapter Five

I do not own Love Hina.

No characters in this story are real. Any character not readily recognizable from LH belongs to me and can be used if my permission is gotten first.

This story is set at the end of Vol. 14 before the wedding.

Notes:

First off, as most of you who have reviewed, I like to answer the reviews with a personal email, I like getting the reviews and ya'll have been great. Sorry that this post has been long in coming. I have had a lot on my plate lately. Fulltime college for retraining for a new career and finilazing my divorce has taken a lot of time. I have been trading off writing chapter to chapter between my two stories I have going.

Next for a few comments some of ya'll have said.

1) No Keitaro will not end up a killing machine.

2) Su does not have the experience or knowledge to handle this type of wound. She maybe great with robotics and machines, but not with biotechnics.

3) Actually what is going to happen has been done in the labs and proven there.

4) And the basis for this story come from a SF/espionage story from the sixties.

5) Finally for this time, I am looking for a proofreader or several, if interested email me a somewhat resume.

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_February 19, 2004_

_New York City_

The doctor in charge of the Urashima case was looking over the charts and recorded observations. He was excited, intrigued, and confused all at the same time. Mr. Urashima's body was showing indications of rapid healing. His body temperature was two degrees above normal, but none of his wounds were showing any indications of infection, and his white cell count was normal. His blood work indicated below normal glucose, indications of dehydration, and large amounts of waste products.

Therefore, from the first indications, he had ordered that Mr. Urashima's glucose and saline drips be increased to the point at which his blood work was brought back to normal. The mystifying part was that this increase was to a level ten times what would normally be given to some of the athletes he has had in here.

For the waste products, he had Mr. Urashima put on put on a self monitoring dialysis machine. The first day, the machine broke down due to over use. So now, they had three machines hooked up in parallel to safely keep up with the load.

The most shocking was that he was still alive, with the amount of brain damage, he had received, and that being over twenty-five percent of his brain mass and his spinal nerve branch connection, he should be dead. However, he was not dead, far from it; he was showing all indications of getting better. His spinal cord was actually showing indications of growth. His brain patterns were showing as normal thought patterns for someone in a traumatic situation. If it had not been that the portion of the brain mass destroyed was the part that controlled motor and bodily functions, Mr. Urashima would have a good chance of recovering on his own with only little limitations.

But what had the doctor so confused, (and excited at the same point), was that they had done a complete gene mapping, intensive CAT scans, and MRI scans and found no plausible reason for Mr. Urashima's unnatural healing ability.

The lab techs and specialist were at first ecstatic that they would find some new wonder drug being produced by Mr. Urashima's body. Now, they were pulling out what little hair they still had trying to come up with some reason for his healing ability. They were doing molecular breakdowns of all his hormone, fluid, and blood samples trying to find the key.

The Holy Grail of medicine was there before them. If they could just figure out what was healing this man. They could save so many more people, not to forget they would also be rich beyond their imagination.

With the experience, they had with other paraplegics over the last decade, today they would install a one-way check valve in the air supply tube, allowing him to exhale normally. This should allow him to talk if he still could. They were going to insert electrodes into his heart muscles that would message his heart muscles, causing his heart to beat, and move blood itself, at least it has worked in the labs so far. Electrodes were to be connected to several muscle groups so that atrophy would not set in.

If this research doctor on the west coast could do what he said he could do, then Mr. Urashima would be totally healed.

_

* * *

_

_February 19, 2004_

_The Mandarin Oriental Hotel_

_New York City_

After taking, a few days to settle in the Ladies of Hinata were starting to calm down from the shocks and surprises of the last week. One such Lady was not taking this well. The man who had shattered her emotional barriers, who had shown her that not all men were perverts, and only looking for a quick fix. She had come to find that he was patient, honest, and trustworthy.

Oh, he could still be a pervert at times. But now she has looked past her own problems and prejudices and was seeing that his perversions were misconceptions of his clumsiness, exasperated by other members of Hinata House, (all Ladies by the way), being caught up in his clumsiness or even staged by some of them for their own enjoyment. At first, using his clumsiness and accidents as an excuse to strike out at him, letting out her pent-up anger and frustration by striking him at the least provocation.

Then over time with being in such close proximity with him, she found that she was starting to like having him around. He on the other hand wore his heart on his sleeve for everyone too see. All of the residents watched as he fell farther and farther in love with her. But she bottled up her emotions, they ate at her, she tried to reject them even. She lashed out at him to show she did not care, wanting him to just leave her alone. These emotions of love and caring were slapping her about the head and shoulders.

She had been so confused at that time, (and still was, the truth be told), and angry. Her conception of love was now gone. Before she had the loving/caring feeling of a father, of older family members, but they had left her all alone. Then all the boys at school professed their love to her. However, they only saw her as an object, a means to an end. They all saw her as a prize trophy to show off, and to show the world their manliness.

Then she saw what Keitaro was really offering her. He offered her his heart and soul. He treated her as a friend and equal. He cared about what she thought and listened to her when she spoke. With this being shown to her everyday, she started to see him for what he was and she fell in love with him.

To say she did not handle this well, would be like saying the Pacific Ocean was only a small pond. For a long time, she hid from these emotions, and the only way she could relate to him was to lash out and hurt him.

It took the arrival of his sister, (and almost loosing him), to finally bring every thing out into the open. She had finally confessed her love to him, no matter what others though of her. Lately she had even come to realize that the other Ladies of Hinata had been circling both Keitaro and her. Waiting for her to misstep and mess up, then they would leap at the chance to steel him away from her, for they all had feeling for him.

However, now he may slip away from her after all, and not be stolen by another woman, but by Death herself. Now her family was pulling in close together, the joking, innuendo's and playing put aside. Now she finally saw everything for how it really was, how much she loved him, but was so scared to come out and actually say it. How much he did for her and for the others at the INN. He openly showed his love and compassion, not just for her, but also for all of them.

How did she return his love, she was secretive and reticent with her shows of affection. While in public, even when around only her close friends, she ridiculed and hurt him, hiding away from her true feelings for him. Now she may not have the chance to show him what he really meant to her. They had had so little time together after THAT fiasco with his sister before he came here to America to finish up his degree. They had not really had the time to be a real couple yet.

She prayed to Kami-sama that she would have that chance to be with him again, that he would pull through this like all the other times.

_

* * *

__February 19, 2004_

_Huntsville State Penitentiary_

_Maximum Security Isolation Cell_

_aka "The Hole"_

_Huntsville, Texas_

He sat there on the hard slab of raised concrete that served for a bed, the thin foam mattress only thick enough to ward away most of the cold seeping though the concrete ledge. Sitting there cross-legged, meditation, trying to wash away the pain and grief.

- knock - knock - knock -

Through the emotional pain filled haze, he heard the sound of someone's knuckles tapping on the metal door to his cell. The knocking, drawing him back to the reality he now only wished to escape. Painfully moving back toward the surface of reality, he becomes cognizant of his surroundings. The coarse fabric of the red shirt and pants he is wearing, the grey painted floor, white walls, the beige ceiling, and the brown closed cell door. The sound of someone singing at the top of his lungs in the cell to his right, to his left, someone is pounding on his door and yelling incoherently at the top of his lungs. Another is yelling at the screamer and the singer to shut up.

- knock - knock - knock -

The knocking sound that had drawn him from his meditation comes again at the door, but this time accompanied by a mellow voice. "Kendricks, I need you to give me that letter back," spoke a voice I recognized as the senior guard at my cell door.

Looking at the crumpled letter in my hand, brings again the deep emotional pain and loose it had brought with it. Standing up, I moved toward the cell door, the vision slot closed, sealing away the pitying eyes of the senior guard. The food slot opened for me to expel the offensive letter through.

I placed the letter through the slot, turned and leaned against the wall. From the other side came again the voice of the guard. "I am sorry Kendricks about your wife and kid, that was just wrong what happened to them."

I hung my head, the sadness crushing down at the thought of not ever seeing my family again. Thinking on the letter, he had just read, informing him of the deaths of his wife and child. From the other side of the door, he could feel the sad presence of the guard.

"Kendricks, I did some checking after I read the letter. There is two things in the pipeline you should know. Your family's death was not an accident and you are not meant to leave here alive," the guard said in a low voice.

"I all ready figured out the last part. The warden has already tacked on five years to my sentence for fights I have been in. The D.O.C. board classified all the fights as assaults on my part, even though I was the one attacked each time." Kendricks said in a low voice through the door. "The Company wants me shut up for what I know or what they think I might know."

The guard now spoke in a normal sounding voice, "By the way Kendricks, you have some visitors coming to see you after lunch, so clean yourself up during your time out of your cell." Reaching into his uniform, he removed the cell keys and unlocked his door.

That afternoon, Kendricks was lead into the lawyer's conference room in leg-irons and cuffs, before him at the table sat a man in his forties and a younger woman in her twenties. They looked up from a discussion as he entered the room.

The man directed his speech to the guards with him. "You may leave us," he stated in a voice that was used to being obeyed.

The guards look at the man, then turn and leave the room, closing the door behind them. After the guards have left, the woman reaches into her satchel and removes a small box with a speaker screen on top.

Kendricks immediately recognizes it as a white noise generator. He raises his eyebrow in a questioning manner directed to the man. 'This might actually be interesting,' he thought. 'He does not appear to be from the Company, though he is a professional of some kind.' Kendricks shuffled his way to a chair across from the man, ignoring the woman who appeared to be his assistant. "So what is this about, I do not know you and you are not from my lawyer's firm, so who are you?"

The man before him looked up from the papers in front of him, "First let me say that I am sorry to hear about your wife and daughter, Mr. Kendricks. I wish that I may have been here earlier, I might have been able to prevent this."

At hearing what he had said, Kendricks became very angry at what had happened and was irritated that this unknown man knew what was going on with his family. Standing rapidly from his chair, knocking it aver as it slid back away from him. He slammed his hands down on the table, "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?" he yelled at the man. "How is it that you know about THAT!? It only happened yesterday and I only just found out about it!" Leaning forward, the pain in his eyes projected across the table. "Just who the hell are you?"

The man across from him, smiled sheepishly at him, though he tried to hide it, his eyes showed his sympathy for his family. Seeing this, Kendricks reached down, righting his chair, he slowly sat down and brought his anger back under control.

The man in front of him removed his glasses and started cleaning them, using that as a delay to get his emotions under control. Knowing that for a moment, he had been in very real danger. Even though Mr. Kendricks had been in irons, he was still a very dangerous man dealing with the lost of his family. "Mr. Kendricks, my name is Domhnall Musto; I am a doctor of medical research at USC medical school. We have a medical research project that you maybe able to assist us in, this project has the ultimate goal of saving a persons life."

"Originally we had hoped that by you participating in this project, it would have relieved the pressure being placed on you and your family by certain government and private agencies. If we had taken the project to its fulfillment, it would have guaranteed their safety, though not yours. The project has the highest potential of you passing on your knowledge and experiences to another, and save that other person's life at the same time, though it may cause your death, either physical of total, in the process. But unfortunately, with the passing of your family, there is not the incentives available to offer you as there was once, unless the possibility of helping someone else is enough," stated Doctor Musto in a deadened voice.

Kendricks looked toward the doctor with hooded eyes, then asked, "What does this project entail and what are the possible benefits to me?"

Musto reached into his brief case and handed a thick folder across the table, "All the information you need is in there, but that folder can not leave my presence."

Kendricks opened the folder and started reading. As he progressed further into the papers, his eyebrows tried to become a permanent part of his hair line, and with his hair having receded a while ago, that was a very interesting accomplishment. As time went by, he looked up at the doctor with a very questioning look in his eyes, and wonder at what the doctor was trying to accomplish. Obviously, this procedure was not sanctioned by the company, though there was reference to they having done so in the past.

Having finally finished reading the papers, Kendricks leaned back and thought on what he had read. After a few minutes, "If I agree to this, there are several things I need you to get done for me prior to the start."

Musto smiled at him, "Anything with in my power will be done."

Kendricks then reached to the doctor's note pad and starting writing out his instructions. He wrote for several hours with out any let up, then laid down his pen. "This is what I need you to do. The instructions at the top of page one will ensure that you get these notes to the right people. When I have gotten word back verifying that my instructions have been followed, then we may proceed with your test. It should take only a few days to find out if my instructions have been taken care of," Kendricks stated.

The doctor looked down and noticed several names and address, with notes detailing which pages of notes to send to which address. The notes were in some foreign language or possible an encryption which he did not recognize off the top of his head. He wondered at the capabilities of this man that he was able to write these notes with out having to resort to a key.

"I will take care of this immediately, then await your call informing me when you are ready. I expect to hear from you with in several days time," Doctor Musto stated, now with a lightened heart knowing that he will be able to go forward with his experiment now.


	6. Letter to Readers

Ok folks, I am sorry for the long delay for updates. Got a lot of things going on. Looking for work, going to college full time, ie retraining for a new career, and who knows, maybe meeting miss right on of these days.

But biggest problem, I need two reliable and mature beta readers and editors. IF any one is interested, email me at my address.

Georgiaboy.

Aka

Glen


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